Do I have to replace my headlight

[gmane]

So my passenger side headlight is getting bad condensation in it and I'm out of my warranty so the dealer won't replace it. My question is do I have to replace the headlight or can I just use some sort of sealant to fix the problem? If i do have to replace the headlight can I buy just the assembly and use all my existing parts or will i be required to buy new everything? I tried looking at getbmwpartsdotcom and they have the light listed at around $770, i really don't have that to spend at the moment.

My other issue is that the moisture has screwed my adaptive headlight sensor so i'll need to replace that, again can i just buy the sensor and pair it with existing parts? I've seen some headlight replacements on ebay but they are for non-xenon and i have xenon lamps can xenon lamps be inserted into non-xenon assemblies?

Appreciate any advice/help you guys can give me.

Thanks!

[Gray_Panther]

No you cant put xenon inside nonxenon
1. It will look stupid having two different headlights
2. You will blind other drivers.

To answer your question, if dont want to spend money is to pm me and I could give you some advice worth listening to. It requires takinh the headlight unit out which requires an hour or two of work.

[potxoli]

related to this, I have a pretty bad scratch on my headlight cover. Some jerk did that in a parking lot and left without warning. Do you have advice on how to replace just the lens?

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by potxoli

related to this, I have a pretty bad scratch on my headlight cover. Some jerk did that in a parking lot and left without warning. Do you have advice on how to replace just the lens?

Gmane, when I get home to my laptop I'll get back to you in detail.

Pot- Have you tried hand compounding and polishing the scratch out? If you do this you need to apply opti-lens to reapply the UV coating to prevent headlight hazing.
To replace the lens is an absolute nightmare. The glue used is perma seal so its not like you can stick the headlight in the oven to separate and replace the lens. Sorry to hear that happened to you.

[gmane]

Thanks! Damn I was thinking I could pop the headlight in the oven and open it up and just re-seal.. Guess that's a no go

[potxoli]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Pot- Have you tried hand compounding and polishing the scratch out? If you do this you need to apply opti-lens to reapply the UV coating to prevent headlight hazing.
To replace the lens is an absolute nightmare. The glue used is perma seal so its not like you can stick the headlight in the oven to separate and replace the lens. Sorry to hear that happened to you.

thanks. I used scratch X which helped a little bit, but have not used something more abrasive. I've seen youtube videos of repairs, but it seems like something I would screw up.

[tracer bullet]

As for sealing it, before you spend any money I would:

1) Open the hood, pop the cover off the back of the headlight and then aim a fan at it overnight or even several nights if possible, to be sure that you have absolutely completely 100% dried it out and there is no water left inside that will turn to moisture later on.
2) Be very careful putting the cover back on and be certain that it is sealed up, that there is a good gasket on the cover, that there are no wires in the way of it, that there are no angel eye parts pushing on it, and so on. Be completely positive that it's on correctly.

Then let it go for a while and see if the condensation stops. You may in fact have a damaged headlight assembly letting in moisture, but it's really much more likely that a rear cover was taken off and not put back on correctly.

The adaptive thing is a different story, it may be too late to save it. But do the other stuff before you replace the whole headlight!

[gmane]

Thanks ill try that first.